WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/163 
14 September 2007 
 (07-3838) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   European Commission 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:    
European Commission 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  +(32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu Website: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/ 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Chemicals 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposal for a 
Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on classification, labelling and 
packaging of substances and mixtures, and amending Directive 67/548/EEC and Regulation 
(EC) No 1907/2006. 
Volume I: Proposal for a Regulation and Explanatory Memorandum, with 63 pages in 
English; Volumes II, III, IIIa and IIIb: Anne xes I-VI with 155, 430, 515 and 940 pages 
respectively, in English (versions in Fr ench and German are also available at 
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/reach/ghs_en.htm). 
 
6. Description of content:   The proposal incorporates into EU legislation the classification 
criteria and labelling rules agreed at UN level, the so called Globally Harmonised System of 
classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS ).  It will introduce UN GHS classification 
criteria, hazard symbols (pictograms) and labelling phrases, while taking account of 
elements which are part of the current EU legislation.  
 In December 2002, the GHS was agreed by th e UN Committee of Experts on the Transport 
of Dangerous Goods and the Globally Harmoni zed System of Classification and Labelling 
of Chemicals (C
ETDG /GHS).  It was formally adopted by UN E COSOC  in July 2003 and 
revised in 2005.  In its Plan of Implementa tion, adopted in Johannesburg on 4 September 
2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development  encouraged countries to implement 
the GHS as soon as possible, to have the system fully operational by 2008.  G/TBT/N/EEC/163 
Page 2  
 
  The proposal for a Regulation requires companies to classify, label and package 
appropriately their substances and mixtures befo re placing them on the market.  To this end 
it takes a fivefold approach. First, it harm onises the classification, labelling and packaging 
rules for substances and mixtures based on the GHS as well as the current EU system.  Second and third, it obliges enterprises to classify their substances and mixtures themselves 
and to notify the classifications to the Eur opean Chemicals Agency (ECHA).  Fourth, it 
establishes a list of harmonised classifications of  substances classified at Community level 
in Annex VI.  Fifth, it establishes a non-binding classification and labelling inventory, made up of all notifications and harmonised classifi cations referred to above and maintained by 
ECHA. 
 
The second point is a continuation of obligati ons under the current legislative Community 
acts, Directive 67/548/EEC (for substances) and Directive 1999/45/EC (for preparations) on enterprises to classify their substances and mixtures.  
The third to fifth points take over relevant provisions of the REACH Regulation (Regulation 
(EC) No 1907/2006) regarding the notification of classifications to ECHA, the establishment of a list of harmonised classifications and the creation of a classification and labelling inventory which should provide guidance to companies in their efforts to agree on 
joint classifications for the same substance.  
The current legislative Community acts, Directive 67/548/EEC (for substances) and 
Directive 1999/45/EC (for preparations), shall be  repealed with effect from 1 June 2015.   
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
High level of protection of human health and the environment and the free circulation of 
goods in the internal market. 
8. Relevant documents:    
1. Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on 
classification, labelling and packaging of  substances and mixtures, and amending 
Directive 67/548/EEC and Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. 
2. Impact assessment, executive summary [SEC(2007)853] and full report 
[SEC(2007)854]. 
3. 3. Globally Harmonised System of Cl assification and Labelling of Chemicals 
(GHS), http://www.unece.org/trans/danger /publi/ghs/ghs_rev01/01files_e.html. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }After entry into force the deadline for 
substance reclassification is proposed to be 
1 December 2010 and for mixtures 1 June 
2015. 
10. Final date for comments:   90 days from date of notification  G/TBT/N/EEC/163 
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11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [    ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
European Commission 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax:  + (32) 2 299 80 43 
E-mail:  ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu 
The text is available on the EC-TBT Website : http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/   
and on  
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/reach/ghs_en.htm